Lucchino (LL) from Friday's 'Executive Report' on WEEI's Dennis
and Callahan Show with. John Dennis (JD) and Gerry Callahan (GC):

JD: At one point do you wave the white
flag?

LL: I don't think you ever waive the white
flag... (GC talks about playing the season out the right way and
giving their manager the full effort and commitment they
deserve...)

LL: I was in San Diego (last year's Sox
collapse) worrying about SD season, but read about dysfunction
and meltdown, don't expect same, personality driven last year,
different set of personalities in clubhouse... history of
season, the interaction and way people treat each other... but
got to be vigilant, you never know...

LL: You go to the people whose job it is
Manager, coaches and let them know fans deserve passionate team
play until the end of season... keep hope alive

JD: Pats small payroll no superstars, vs.
Red Sox with superstars... accountability to coach Bellichick,
is there accountability in baseball with union , contracts...

LL: We do have a cockamamie system, 4-5
year guaranteed contracts have the possibility for disaster, not
football... lots of people who have responsibility for success
and for less than successful year... tendency to scapegoat the
manager, solely and exclusively his fault, if looking for causes
for particular late season performance... lots of causes, Cal
Ripkin Sr. used to say sometimes it's NET (Not Enough
Talent) ...several All Stars, did we have enough Talent, depth,
BullPen strength... always about a high quality pen (Makes
Manager look Smarter/Dumber good/bad BP) ...guys had cold
period, injured... need minor league to compensate... I don't
think we did. Plenty of jobs to do, responsibility to go around.

Distractions, yes, but lots of teams had
them.. You have to handle, accommodate, and play through it.

GC: Grady replaced?

LL: It's unseemly to talk of Mgr. fate in
middle of baseball season... as you suggest in your column
today, they owe this guy something. We gave them harmony,
respect, an easy-hand when they needed it, he got it started off
the right way... these players do owe their manager, coaches,
fans commitment for these next 24 games.

GC: Hard to add talent w/o adding
payroll..

LL: Isn't easy if look for superstars at
that level, regression to the mean in the market, economy, fewer
purchasers... other way is intelligent pro scouting. Alan Embree
$500,000 player this year, it can be done... you don't just walk
into the supermarket and look at the big item in middle of
aisle, look for blue plate special...

JD: Pioli "Pats not most talented team in
league, skill player on board, toughness, smarts, and team
play... sometimes the most talented players aren't the best to
build a team.

LL: No brainier. Used to be believer in
talent vs. chemistry. Bobby Betherd (football GM) would talk
about chemistry, I would talk biology: "tell me how big, how
fast" I learned from him, both important... we're trying to do
what Pats are doing players to enhance, biology in talent,
chemistry and harmony... commend the Pats..

GC: Would you pay luxury tax to improve
team?

LL: Yes as abstract matter we will
consider it, it's a soft tax, by-and-large not likely the way
we'll run the railroad.

LL: A number of those we'd like to make
serious run at "wolf closest to the sled" we've still got
2002, good Front Office has immediacy and future, mixed
portfolio, deal with people whose contracts are upcoming.

GC: Deal (agreement) doesn't work best for
Sox does it?

LL: Mixed feel. avoided work stoppage, long
term damage incalculable, some good things in agreement... be
realistic that it needs to be adjusted, fine tuned, year to
year, ... will Red Sox pay substantial price for rev share?
Absolutely, massive contribution along with others to other
clubs to increase revenue for small market teams...

GC: George hired lawyer David Boise to sue
MLB...

LL: Yeah, I do lose sleep over George
Steinbrenner's plight..

GC: TC spent time and energy fighting you,
K or pop out, got honest day's work out of TC?

LL: Honest Day's Work? yes, Production,
No, trying to work hard, Yes, Producing enough to earn $5 half
million contract? Remains to be seen. Have a lot of respect for
his approach to life and work.. Disappointed... did our play
suffer? LL was dealing with larger issues, distraction is
undeniable... but there's more to it than that... what has been
a very tough year for him..

GC: Concourse big success... couldn't get a
beer at 5:00am...

LL: C'mon guys, extremely well, back from
Chicago about 7:30 last night, pleasantly surprise at how
animated it was (GC: cause no one wanted to go inside and watch
game) ... gave breathing space to mill around, came out to have
cigarette, Cuban sandwich, see what like, work in progress...
but created a little bit more real-estate, horizontal expansion
is very positive thing. The Fire and Police are monitoring
to make sure it works well, were working on it, follows the
process and success quite carefully, temp permit, must show
value...

The “Curt’s Pitch
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ALS Association Mass Chapter to strike out Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Curt and Shonda
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